Dispensing means in a package



Feb. 2, 1965 R. L. IGNELL 3,168,233

v DISPENSING MEANS IN A PACKAGE Filed Aug. 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR Rolf Lennarf: IgneLL j mjw 29 PM Feb. 2, 1965 R. L. IGNELL DISPENSING MEANS IN A PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 9, 1962 IIVVENTOR Rob Lennarfi IgneLL tion 9 along the side 11 common thereto and to said major rectangular flap section 13.

In accordance with the invention the liner comprises a thin-walled flexible tube length extending longitudinally in the direction of the sleeve axis. Preferably, it consists of a heat-scalable plastic material. At its end adjacent the package end closure wall under consideration it is closed along a sealing fin 23 established by fiat- .pressing the liner wall in a zone transverse to the liner axis, said sealing fin having its inner boundary line 22 contained in a plane through the sleeve axis substantially perpendicular to the sleeve side wall panel 3 associated with the outer end closure flap 7. Adjacent to one end 24 of the sealing fin 23 the liner is secured to the inner face of the parallel trapezoid section 9 of said outer end closure flap7 at least in the vicinity of the liner generatrix extending through said sealing fin end 24 so that a doublewalled triangular liner car 25 communicating with the interior of the liner and having its outer apex angle substantially bisected by the adjacent portion of the inner boundary line 22 of the sealing fin 23 may be folded inwardly together with the end closure flap 7 when foldin'gin same into the end closure wall position.

The end closure flaps 6 and 8 which in the end closure position are the innermost ones are each provided with a recess 31, 32 respectively along its side adjacent to the sleeve side wall panel 3, said recesses in the end closure wall position of the end closure flaps together with the sleeve side wall panel 3 defining a parallel trapezoid aperture, the position and shape of which substantially equal those of the parallel trapezoid section 9 of the outer end closure flap 7, the shorter edge 26 of the two parallel aperture edges being substantially aligned with the side 11 of the section 9 overlying trapezoid flap section 9, while the two inwardly converging aperture edges 27 and 28 in the drawings for sake of clearness having been shown inwardly offset in relation to the adjacent sides 18 and 19, respectively, of the flap section 9.

Said aperture defined by the end opening edge 12 and the edges 27, 26 and 28 permits the liner car to be swung out of the package together with the parallel trapezoid flap section 9 to which'it adheres.

In accordance with the invention when folding out the flap section 9 from its end closure wall position, a grip is applied on the underside of the connecting flap section 13 by meansof a finger nail or a suitable tool inserted in the slot 15, thereby to break its sealing relationship, if any, to the underlying end closure flaps. After having turned out the connecting flap section 13 from its end closure wall position about the joint fold line 11 thereof and of the parallel trapezoid flap section 9, the latter, by applying a grip thereto, may be separated from the end closure flap 7 and, about its base 10, be folded upwards-outwards thereby turning the liner ear 25 upwards-outwards from its folded-in position.

As shown in FIG. 3, in its turned-out position the liner car may be opened through tearing or cutting off its outer apex portion to establish a dispensing opening package, the liner length has to be increased unduly in I order that the liner in the teared-off state of the liner ear portion reach beyond the free end edge of the end closure flap. Moreover, since the double, walled triangular ear portion 25 of the inner liner when folded fiat has a base line essentially co-exte'nsive with the adjacent carton end wall edge 10 whereas the trapezoidal end wall tear flap 9 has a base line, of a length less than 4 the total length of such edge, it follows that the liner ear, when pulled through the aperture in the end wall exposed by a swinging-out of the tear flap 9, will overlap, i.e. bulge over the edges of the end wall aperture and thus cause the liner ear to take on its three-dimensional configuration necessary for pouring.-

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the dispensing means according to the invention also permits the package to be reclosed after the contents packaged have been par tially dispensed therefrom. When reclosing, the parallel trapezoid flap section 9and hence also the liner ear 25 provided with a dispensing opening 29-is folded-in over the end closure wall about its base 10. At the latest just before the flap section 9 assumes its end closure wall position shown in FIG. 4, the extension section 13 is folded, about the joint fold line 11 common thereto and to the flap section 9, inwardly into a position sub stantially perpendicular to the parallel trapezoid flap sec tion 9. Due to this, the extension section 13, when finally folding down the flap section 9 to lie in the same plane as the remaining portion of the end closure flap 7, may be inserted into the package interior along the inner shorter edge 26 of the aperture defined by the end closure flaps 6 and 8. When folding-in the connecting flap section 13 the minor rectangular section 21 punched out therefrom will remain in the same plane as the flap section 9. Thus, said minor rectangular section 21, when the parallel trapezoid flap section 9 with the extension section 13 turned inwardly has been folded down into its reclosing position, will, along its inside face, rest upon the end closure flaps 6 and 8 thus serving as a retaining tag preventing the parallel trapezoid flap section 9 against from being folded inwardly beyond the end closure wall plane. As, due to the position of the edge 26 and to reacting resilience in the'fold along the fold line 11 between the fiap sections 9 and 13, the flap section 13 in its reclosing position will be maintained in pressure engage ment with the edge 26, the fiap section 9 will be sufii= ciently fixed against upward folding about its base 10.

When dispensing filling material once again from a partially emptied reclosed package, the minor rectangular section 21 resting on top of the end closure flaps 6 and 8 will serve as a grip tab for upward folding of the flap section 9 and of the liner ear 25 adhering thereto.

I claim: 1

A dispensing package comprising a thin-walled flexible tube sealed closed at its opposite ends and distended into a rectangular liner structure in which the tube wall forms both an end wall of the rectangular liner structure and also opposed double walled hollow triangular liner ears each of which is folded downwardly about its base edge to lie flat against an adjacent wall of said rectangular liner structure, one of said hollow liner ears being in communication with the interior of said liner and being adapted upon rupturing an apex section of said ear to serve as a pouring spout for the contents within said liner, an outer rectangular carton snugly enclosing said rectangular liner structure and being provided with an outwardly swinging tear wall flap lying opposite to the said triangular ear which is to serve as the pouring spout and uncovering when swung outwardly an aperture in the adjacent carton end wall, and means adhesively securing only that portion of said triangular ear which lies inwardly of said rupturable apex section permanently to said outwardly swinging tear wall flap of said carton so as to enable said liner ear to be pulled outward through said carton end Wall aperture to a dispensing position in which it is adequately supported by said tear wall flap as the latter is swung outwardly, and to be returned to a position within said carton when said tear wall flap is swung inwardly to reclose the carton, said triangular liner ear having a base line co-extensive with the adjacent carton end wall edge and said end wall tear flap having a base of a length less than said end wall edge whereby said triangular liner car when flat-folded overlappingly 5 covers said end wall aperture and when pulled through said aperture automatically distends into a three-dimensional pouring spout shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,536 Byrne Mar. 19, 1912 2,002,005 Gottlieb May 21, 1935 2,002,364 Daller May 21, 1935 6 Alfred May 28, 1935 Guyer Mar. 21, 1939 Freshwaters June 23, 1942 Davis Jan. 11, 1944 Durie Aug. 8, 1944 Coghill Feb. 20, 1945 Feldman Apr. 23, 1956 Maxon Oct. 29, 1957 Yezek Feb. 26, 1963 

